The daily herald. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1886-1887, 1887-03-21
MONDAY. MARCH a., 1887.
PILIKIA IN SUGAR.

climate. And there is some reason to
think that the adage may be quoted
commercially as well as meteorologic
ally to tie Hawaiian staple industry
The rains of adversely have fallen dur
ing the past few years on the sugar
trade so thick and fast as almost to
Offset the benefit Of the natural liquid
element upon the cane fields, Ha-
waiian sugar has had beet sugar in
Europe and America, together with
cheap labor in Manila, the West
Indies and the Southern States to con-
tend against, and now it appears that
our planters are to be called on to
fight the coal mines which, so far as
biologists have been able to decide,
are practically inexhaustible.
A chemist in the February number
Of Cham6eyS' /oNynai tells US that sac
charine extracted from coal tar out
sugars cane sugar both in the cheap.
ness with which it can be produced
and in its superior qualities as a sweet
ening agent. 1t is described as a white
crystalline powder easily soluble in
warm water and possessing two hun
dred and thirty times the sweetening
power Of the best cane or beetroot
sugar. One part Of il in ten thousand
parts Of water gives it perceptibly
sweet taste. The substance is chem
ically named dextro-saccharine. Add
ing one part Of this saccharine to from
1000 to 1000 parts glucose, the pro-
duct is said to be scarcely distinguish
able from ordinary sugar. The bitterest
quinine solution or acid drink is rem.
dered so sweet by small quantity OF
it that not the least trace OF bitterness
or acldity is left. In small quantities
it has no injurious effects upon the
human system, and it may be used
with IMMUNITY by persons suffering
from maladies which are injuriously
affected by other sugars. 1t is prepared
from constituent of coaltar called
toluene. The toluene is put through 9
series of chemical processes, in which
it is operated on by sulphuric acid
chalk, filtration, carbonate of soda
phosphoric pentachloride, solid am
moninm carbonate, permanganate o
potash and dilute mineral acids, for
midable array Of big.named prepare
tons, after going through which some
thing wonderful ought to result.
The discoverer of this strange pre-
duct was DIR, Constantine Fahlberl
and the discovery was accidental
The doctor had been experiment
ing upon compound radicals an
substitution products of coal tai
and coming TO the supper table
haste without washing his hands, h
caught the first taste from a goblet h
had handled, and describes it as on
of unspeakable sweetness 1t appear
that he lost his supper by the excite
ment into which he was thrown, for h
reached back to the laboratory an
tasted so many of the decoctions wit
which he had been working that h
afterwards was thankful that none
them happened to be poisonous.
Should the manufacture of sacchi
rlne be developed into a permanent il
dusIrN it may become a dangerou
rival to the cane raising business, I
coal tar is produced in immense quar-
titles in gas works. 1t has in fact bee
a nuisance in those establishments
and various experiments have bee
suggested and tried to enable mani
facturers to get the gas out of coal will
out having so much Of the tar to max
room for and to get out of their wa
There is at least this consolation in Ii
prospect: electricity and cheap ker,
sene are threatening in many places IL
humiliation of the gas works.
We regret to hear that DIR. Brod
was very i'll Yesterday.